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Ousmane Dieng report card: Former lottery pick is forgotten piece for OKC Thunder
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- Ousmane Dieng report card: Former lottery pick is forgotten piece for OKC Thunder
Editor's note: Over the next three weeks, The Oklahoman will publish a series of report cards on each of the Thunder's 15 main roster players. Grades will be curved relative to role and expectations. Next up in the series, Ousmane Dieng .
It's easy to forget about Ousmane Dieng .
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That's less a knock on him than the reality of his situation. If this was two or three years ago, we'd have a wealth of information on the young Frenchman. The rebuilding days were ripe for player development. Not so much now, when the Thunder is a 57-win team.
To Dieng's credit, he excelled in his stint with the OKC Blue. Dieng won G League Finals MVP, averaging 17.3 points and 5.3 assists in the three-game championship series.
"I feel like I'm a way better player than at the beginning of the season, especially the last two months," Dieng said in his exit interview. "I've grown leaps and bounds."
But developing in the G League is no substitute for playing real NBA minutes, and there have been few available for Dieng.
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Thunder forward Ousmane Dieng happens to be both the youngest player on OKC's Summer League roster and the most experienced NBA player of the group.
Dieng has logged 72 games through two NBA seasons. He's averaged 4.5 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists. Dieng shot 42% as both a rookie and sophomore.
Set to enter his age 21 season, Dieng is still very much a mystery box. A 6-foot-10 forward with guard-like skills who could be a swing piece for the Thunder. He's also a low-floor player who might not have a place in the NBA.
Maybe he emerges as part of the Thunder's core. Maybe he's dangled in a trade. Maybe he's out of the league in three years.
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The Thunder knew it was gambling on a high-variance player when it selected Dieng 11th overall in the 2022 draft. Even if OKC whiffed on Dieng, the Thunder more than made up for it by drafting Jalen Williams one pick later.
Williams' star trajectory is part of the reason we overlook Dieng, a lottery ticket the Thunder has kept in its back pocket.
"When we drafted him, he was almost a year young for that draft," Thunder general manager Sam Presti said in his exit interview. "We kind of knew that his timeline and his pathway would be different … but Ous has responded well. I'm pleased with him. I think he's made some big strides here."
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Oklahoma City Thunder forward Ousmane Dieng (13) dunks the ball during an NBA basketball game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Cleveland Cavaliers at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023. The Thunder won 128-120.
Ousmane Dieng by the numbers
60%:Sixty percent of Dieng's field-goal attempts came from behind the arc, but Dieng only shot 30% from 3-point range. He's a career 28% 3-point shooter on 168 attempts.
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11:The last three No. 11 picks: Jett Howard , Dieng, James Bouknight . Howard played in just 18 games as a rookie for the Magic and Bouknight is out of the league. Plenty of recent No. 11 picks have hit, though. Domantas Sabonis , Myles Turner , Malik Monk , Devin Vassell . Oh, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander .
30:Dieng has made 78 2-pointers in his career. Thirty of those have been dunks.
Ousmane Dieng offseason homework
Dieng said it himself in his exit interview.
"Keep working on my shot," Dieng said. "Keep working on my body."
Ousmane Dieng grade: C
About what we expected from Dieng.
He didn't make a significant leap, but his late-season run in the G League was promising.
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More: What is Josh Giddey's future with OKC Thunder? GM Sam Presti remains patient
Joe Mussatto is a sports columnist for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joe? Email him at jmussatto@oklahoman.com . Support Joe's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com .
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Ousmane Dieng report card: Former OKC Thunder lottery pick overlooked
